Beating mechanism for threshing-machines.



No. 640,939. Patented Jan. 9, 1900.7.

0. A. PAUL & w. WIBBEN. BEATING MECHANISM FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar. 25, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

WW] W I 1HIHHIIIHHHIHIIHIHIHHHHHIIIHHHHHHH Mn Patented Jail. 9, I900. c. A. PAUL & w. W-IBBEN. BEATING MECHANISM FOR THRESHING MACHINES.

(Application filed Mar. 25, 1698.)

2 Shear-Sheet 2.

' (No Model.)

Mad? JV 'WW'Z w .m f? 6 I. fl 8:: 5:: 1: n 6 20 s 5 2 m 54 H 3 mm A Z m: cams VEYEFIS m. monyuwou WASWNGYON. n, c.

IUNHED rrice.

CHARLES A. PAUL, OF ORLANDO, AND WILLIAM WIBBEN, OF CLEAR CREEK, OKLAHOMA TERRITORY.

BEATING MECHANISM FOR THRESHING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,939, dated January 9, 1900.

Application filed March 25, 1898; Serial No. 675,143. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES A. PAUL, residing at Orlando, in the county of Logan, and WILLIAM WIBBEN, residing at Clear Creek, in the county of Payne, Territory of Oklahoma, citizens of the United States, have invented a new and useful Threshing or Beating Mechanism for Threshing-Machines or Grain-Separators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invent-ion relates to improvements in threshing or beating mechanism for use in connection with threshing-machines or grainseparators; and the object that We have in view is to provide means for beating the grain out of the straw without the employment of toothed cylinders and concaves, thus enabling the mechanism to be run with less power than ordinary threshing-machines, and especially 2o adapting the improvement to be operated by hand-power for treating Kafir corn, although we also contemplate the employment of the mechanism in connection with threshing-machines to be run at high speed for the separation of grain from the straw.

WVith these ends in view the invention consists in the combination of a slatted or grated concave, a beating-cylinder, crushing and feed rolls in advance of the beating-cylinder,

c and a ledger plate or bar fixed adjacent to the threshing and feed rolls in a plane slightly below the path of the grain passing therethrough and lying just outside of the path of the beater-bars on the cylinder.

3 5 The invention further consists in the novel combination of elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand our invention, we have illustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of part of a threshing-machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical sec- 5 tional elevation of our improved threshing or beating mechanism applied to a part of an ordinary threshing-machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation of said heating or threshing mechanism applied in operativepo- 5o sition to a grain-separator, a part of the lat- Fig. 4 is a plan view ter only being shown.

of the mechanism illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2, the dotted lines representing the gearing and crank used on the mechanism shown by Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view to illustrate more clearly the relation of the fixed ledger plate or bar to the crushing and feed rolls. Figs. 6 and 7 are fragmentary details of parts of the improvements Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

We will first proceed to describe our improvements with an ordinary threshing-machine as represented by Fig. 1, referring more particularly to which, 1 designates a part of the main frame of the threshing-machine. 2 is the ordinary cap for the threshing or beating cylinder. 3 is an extended part of the frame to support the crushing and 7c feed rolls of our improvement. 5 is the ordinary beater situated in rear of the threshing mechanism. 6is the vibratinggrain-pan. 7is a part of the straw-carrier mechanism, and 8 is the feed board or chute at the mouth of the main machine. All of these parts maybe of the ordinary orany preferred construction known to those skilled in the art, as no novelty therefor is claimed in this application.

In adapting ourimprovements to the threshin g-machine we employ the imperforaie grainplate 9, which is preferably curved and is arranged below the threshing or beating mechanism, the front end of said grain-plate 9 being joined to the feed board or chute 5, while its rear end delivers to the vibrating grainpan 6. This inclined or curved grain-plate is fixed or attached in any suitable Way, and its function is to catch the grain as it passes through the concave and delivers the same to the grain-pan 6.

According to our improvement we employ a cylinder and concave which are devoid of the usual teeth, and these elements are of peculiar construction to thresh the grain by a 5 beating action and to permit the grain to pass through the concave to the plate 9. The concave 10 is of slatted or grated construction, and it consists of a series of segmental. bars or straps 11 and the cross-bars 1,2. The segmental bars are arc-shaped to conform to the threshing or beating cylinder, below which on the extended part 3 of the frame.

the grated concave is arranged. The crossbars 12 are applied to the upper edges of the bars or straps 11 at suitable intervals from each other to leave spaces or slots between the bars, and through said bars and the straps 11 are passed the securing-bolts 13, which rigidly attach the parts 11 12 together to present a substantial and durable structure.

The threshing or beating cylinder 14 consists of a horizontal shaft 15, the heads 16, and the beater-bars 20. The heads 16 are spaced at suitable intervals on the cylindershaft 15, to which they are rigidly secured in any preferred way, and to provide for the proper attachment of the beater-bars to the cylinder-heads we provide the pairs of lugs 17 18 on said heads 16. The lugs are arranged inpairs and in alinement with each other on the respective heads of the cylinder, said lugs being integral with the heads and extending outwardly therefrom to have their bearing-faces lie inclined to the radii of the cylinder-heads. These lugs are furthermore provided with slots 19, through which pass the .bolts 21, which serve to rigidly fasten the beater-bars to the cylinder -heads. Each beater-bar is applied laterally to the inclined faces of the pair of lugs on the cylinder-heads, and the outer edges of said beater-bars extend beyond the lugs, substantially as shown by the drawings. The beater-bars are spaced at suitable intervals around the circumference of the cylinder and they are parallel to the axis of said cylinder. At the same time the beater-bars lie in planes inclined to the radii of the cylinder, because they are applied laterally to the faces of the lugs, and the described arrangement of said heaterbars enables the entire outer working surface thereof to be brought into service for beating or threshing the straw and separate the grain therefrom as the straw and grain pass between the cylinder and the grated concave. One end of the cylinder-shaft extends beyond its bearings in the threshing-machine to receive the pulley or other appliance by which the cylinder is positively driven by power connections with the machine, and on the shaft 52 is attached a sprocketwheel which serves to drive one of the crushing and feed rolls.

In our toothless threshing-cylinder and concave we employ a set of crushing and feed rolls situated in advance of the threshing mechanism for the purpose of preliminarily crushing the straw, so as to free the grain in a measure from the straw before it is passed to the threshing mechanism proper. The upper feed-roll is indicated at 22, and its shaft 23 is journaled in sliding boxes or bearings 23, suitably mounted in a frame or housing The lower feed-roll is arranged immediately below the upper roll 22 in the same vertical plane therewith, and said lower feed-roll 24 has its shaft 25 journaled in fixed boxes 25 in the machine-frame. These crushing and feed rolls may be either smooth or roughened, and they are geared together for positive rotation in opposite directions by intermeshing spurgears 25 one of said spur-gears being at tached to the lower positively-driven roll 24 and meshing with the other spur-gear on the upper feed-roll 22 to drive the latter'by mo= tion derived from said lower feed-roll. Be tween the beating and thresh'in g cylinders and the crushing and feed rolls is arranged mechanism by which the motion of the threshingcylinder is communicated to said lower feedroll 24, and in one embodiment of the invention this transmitting mechanism consists of a sprocket-chain 26, which passes around a sprocket-wheel 27,rigidly attached to the shaft 52, and also around a sprocket-wheel 26, attached, in a manner presently described, to the shaft 25 of the roll 24. I

27 designates the ledger plate or bar, which is situated in a plane slightly below the line of feed of the grain as it passes through the crushing and feed rolls and just outside of the path of the beater-bars on the rotating cylinder. This ledger plate or baris of metal, preferably steel, and it is rigidly fastened at its ends to suitable support-s on the main frame 1 or the extension 3 thereof. In cross-section this metallic ledger plate or bar is nearly triangular-that is to say, its upper horizontal and rear vertical faces are at right angles to each other, while its lower under face is segmental to enable said ledger plate or bar to be fitted closely adjacent to the cylindrical surface of the lower feed-roll 24. The upper horizontal face of the metallic ledger plate or bar lies in or slightly below the line of the feed of the grain through or between the coacting rolls, while the rear vertical face of said ledger plate or bar is just in advance of the path described by the beater-bars 20 on the rotating cylinder and is also intersected by the circular plane of the concave, whereby the straw is beaten directly into the concave and no chance is given for the loose grain to escape in the interval between the ledger-plate and the contiguous edge of the concave, said interval being spanned or closed by the lower feed-roller 24. The grain as it passes between the coacting rolls travels over the ledger plate or bar and momentarily lodges thereon to be subjected to the beating action of the bars of the cylinder, and as the rolls operate to free the grain in a measure from the straw the separation of the grain is completed by the action of the heaters on the straw as it passes over the ledger plate or bar and travels between the slatted concave and the cylinder. The grain threshed from the straw passes through the spaces between the bars or slats of the concave so as to lodge upon the plate 9 and be delivered to the pan 6, while the straw passes over the concave and onto the straw-carrier 7, the forward receiving end of which is adjacent to the delivery end of the concave.

At this point it is to be noted that an important feature of the invention resides in the inclination of the fiat beater-bars 20 with relation to the radii of the rotating cylinder and also with relation to the upper horizontal surface of the ledger-plate 27. This ledgerplate is not a cutting member and has no cutting action whatever. It simply acts in the capacity of a fixed abutment to support the grain in position for being struck by the flat faces of the bars 20. These bars are disposed at such an inclination that when they pass through the ledger-plate 27 the same are oblique to the horizontal plane of the u pper surface of the ledger-plate, thereby obviating a cutting of the grain and causing the grain to be struck a slanting blow which will tend to crush the heads against the. vertical face of the ledger-plate, and thereby insure a thorough threshing action.

To insure uniformity and steadiness in the running of the beater-cylinder 14, we provide a balance-wheel 27 on one extended end of the oylinder-shaftl5, and this balance-wheel is arranged and is of such dimensions that it does not interfere with the gearing by which the motion of the cylinder is communicated to the coacting rolls 22 24.

e have arranged the coactin g rolls to provide for adjustment of the upper roll 22 and vary the space between the working surfaces of the two rolls. The means by which we attain this object consists of the vertical bolts 28, provided at their upper ends with the hooks or loops 29, which engage loosely with the shaft 23 of said roll 22. These bolts extend downwardly outside of the ends of the rolls, and to the lower ends of the bolts are connected the forward ends of the horizontallyarranged springs or spring bars 30. The springs'or spring-bars are preferably tapered and provided with openings at their ends, through one of which openings in each bar or spring passes the lower end of one vertical bolt 28 to receive a nut 28. The springs 30 bear at points intermediate of their length against the fixed rests 31, supported in the frame or extension 3, and through the openings in the rear ends of the springs 30 pass the vertical tension-bolts 32, attached at their upper ends to the frame extension 3, the lower ends of said tension-bolts 32 being equipped with the thumb-nuts 33, by adjusting which the tension exerted by the springs on the bolts 28 and the upper feed-roll 22 may be varied as desired.

In rear of the cylinder and at a suitable distance above the concave the cylinder-cap 2 is provided with the stop bar or flange 34, which is fixed to said cap and serves to detain the straw when passing around with the beatercylinder in its travel, thus obviating choking of the space between the cylinder and the fixed cap 2.

In the event of clogging or choking of the space or throat between the crushing and. feed rolls it is desirable to provide means by which the lower feed-roll may be thrown out of gear with the cylinder, and to this end we attach the sprocket-wheel 26 to the shaft 25 ot' the lower feed-roll, so that it may be adjusted by a lever 35 into or out of fixed engagement with said shaft 25. This sprocketwheel 26 is provided with a laterally-extended sleeve or collar 36, having a grooveforming shoulders, with which are engaged a part of the lever 35. The shaft 25 has a square or polygonal length 37 adjacent to the cylindrical length 38 and the opening in the sprocket-wheel 26 and its sleeve or collar corresponds to the polygonal part of the shaft. The lever 35 occupies a horizontal position alongside of the extended frame-section 3, or it may be arranged in a vertical position to suit the convenience of the operator. This lever is constructed at'a point intermediate of its length to engage with the grooved collar or sleeve 36 on the sprocket-gear 26 and at one end this lever is fulcrumed, as at 40, to a bracket 39, fixed to the machine-frame. The other free end of the adjusting-lever 35 is arranged to engage with a detent-bolt 41, also fixed to the machine-frame and provided with shoulders 42 43, with either of which the lever may be engaged. When the lever is shifted on its fulcrum and engaged with the shoulder 42, the sprocket-gear 26 is adjusted to fit the polygonal part- 37 of the feed-roll shaft 25, thus making the sprocket-gear fast with the shaft and adapting the mechanism to rotate the coacting rolls by motion derived from the threshing-cylinder; but when the lever is reversed and moved toward the shoulder 43 the sprocket-gear 26 is shifted to fit the cylindrical part 38 of the feed-roll shaft 25, and thus throw the feed-rolls out of. gear with the cylinder-shaft,whereby the feed-rolls may be arrested to permit the operatorto clear any obstruction which tends to clog or choke the feed-rolls.

In Fig.3 of the drawings we have illustrated our toothless threshing mechanism applied to a grain-separator, and in passing we remark that the organization of said threshing mechanism with relation to the separator produces a machine especially Well adapted for threshing and cleaning Kafir corn, which machine may be operated to good advantage by handpower, because the threshing mechanism may be run quite easily, owing to the association of the preliminary crushing and feed rolls with the non-toothed cylinder and concave. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be seen that the hopper of the separator is indicated by the numeral 45, the upper riddle at 46, the lower riddle at 47, and the intermediate riddle at 48. The blast-fan 49 is arranged to deliver its blast between the lower and intermediate riddles in the usual way, and with the fan-shaft is combined our threshing mechanism, which is designed to be driven by motionderived from said shaft. The slatted or grated concave is attached to the separator-frame to have its heel or delivery end adjacent to the upper riddle 46, while the grain-plate 9 is arranged below the slatted concave, and its rear end is adjacent to the intermediate riddle 48, the front end of said grain-plate 9 being joined to the feed board or chute 8, so that the grain passing between the crushing and feed rolls and through the slots in the slatted concave is caught by the plate 9 and delivered to the intermediate riddle. The straw after having been subjected to the threshing or beating action of the cylinder and concave is delivered from the latter onto the upper riddle, over which the straw passes to the rear of the machine, while any grain contained in the straw is liberated therefrom by the shaking or vibrating motion of the riddle 46 and passes through said riddle to the other riddles of the separator.

The threshing mechanism is designed to be driven by intermediate gear connections with the fan-shaft 50, and to this end we provide said shaft with a gear-pinion 51, which meshes with a gear 54 on a counter-shaft 52 journaled in suitable boxes 53, and said large gear 54 meshes with a gear-pinion 55 on the cylinder shaft 16. When the fan is operated to force the blast of air between the second and third riddles of the separator, the train of gearing drives the threshing or beating cylinder in a positive manner, and said beating-cylinder in turn drives the coacting rolls 22 24, by which the grain is partially separated from the straw previous to feeding the straw and grain to the threshing or beating cylinder and its concave.

It is thought that the operation and advantages of our improvements will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings.

We are aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and in the details of construction may be made by a skilled mechanic without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of the invention, and we therefore reserve the right to make such modifications as fall within the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention,what we claim is- In a machine of the class described, the combination of a revoluble cylinder provided with a peripheral series of fiat beater-bars extending longitudinally thereof, from end to end, and disposed at an inclination to the radii of the cylinder, a pair of superposed feed and crushing rolls arranged at one side of and adjacent to the cylinder, a cross-sectionally triangular stationary plate 2'7 arranged in the interval between the rolls and the cylinder, with its horizontal face disposed substantially in the plane of the travel of the material between the rolls, and its vertical face arranged slightly in advance of the path of the inclined beater-bars, the inclination of the latter being such that when they pass the said stationary plate, the same are disposed obliquely to the horizontal plane of the upper face of the plate to thresh the material over against the vertical face of the plate without cutting the material, and a toothless slotted concave arranged below the cylinder, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. PAUL. WILLIAM WIBBEN.

Witnesses:

W. W. HALLER, H. W. HALL. 

